After this little sea otter pup somehow ended up getting separated from his mother off the coast of California, he was lucky to end up in the caring hands of trained professionals.
The pup’s mother, however, had no way of knowing what lay in store — or that, before long, all would be set right.
According to the California Department of Fish And Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), a group specializing in the protection of sea otters, initial attempts to reunite the pup with his mom from the shore proved fruitless.
So, knowing her approximate location in the surrounding waters, the team from OSPR decided to set off by boat with the pup in tow.
It was then that the worried mom, lonesome at sea, suddenly heard a familiar voice.
Here’s footage of what happened next:
“The mother immediately responded to the pup’s vocalizations and eagerly reclaimed her pup,” OSPR wrote.
Indeed, in one quick flash, the pup’s mom swept him up and carried him a safe distance away. And seeing the pair so sweetly reunited, a member of OSPR crew couldn’t help but let out an “aww.”
This successful reunion not only brought a family back together, it helped serve as training for a the OSPR crew, whose mission it is to protect these endangered animals in the event of an ecological disaster.
“These types of operations are good in that they improve readiness for assisting sea otters during oil spills,” an OSPR spokesperson told The Dodo.
